| You should know this by now: Computers can | | | | data in the form of a hard copy: |
| and do fail. And nasty viruses can take down | | | | |
| your system by creeping through your | | | | * AIT Tape |
| antivirus software and firewall. | | | | |
| | | | * CD-R, CD-RW |
| The problem is that you usually get no | | | | |
| warning before it's too late. Puff! Your data | | | | * DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD+R |
| is gone. | | | | |
| | | | * Flash Memory Card Products |
| This has happened to more than a few | | | | |
| businesspeople. In extreme cases, it has put | | | | * R/W Magneto Optical Disks & WORM |
| companies out of business. And the worst part | | | | |
| is this: It's completely avoidable. By | | | | * 1/2" Tape Cartridges |
| backing up your data, you can retrieve all or | | | | |
| most of what you lose. | | | | * LTO Ultrium Tape |
| | | | |
| Yes, yes, I hear some of you snickering about | | | | * QIC 1/4" Data Cartridge |
| the hassle involved. Indeed, there is a | | | | |
| hassle involved. But you owe it to yourself | | | | * Jaz & Zip Disks |
| -- and your business -- to take stock of your | | | | |
| backup plan (or lack thereof) by reviewing | | | | * DLT tape / SDLT Tape |
| these tips. Most Important: Back up Your | | | | |
| Customer Databases and Payroll Records | | | | * SLR / MLR Cartridges |
| | | | |
| What's the heart and soul of your company? | | | | For anyone who uses a computer on a regular |
| People have different opinions, but certainly | | | | basis, data backup is very important. When |
| your customer or client database has to rank | | | | you backup your data, you are storing your |
| high. | | | | files on a disk or drive separated from your |
| | | | primary computer. In this way, if anything |
| Inside one or two data files are all the | | | | occurs to your computer or damage comes to |
| nitty-gritty details including what they buy, | | | | your file on the computer, then you still |
| when they buy, how they pay and so forth. | | | | have your data in backup so that you can |
| Contact lists also are databases, and you | | | | restore it onto your original machine or |
| might have yours combined with your customer | | | | another machine. This allows you to keep your |
| list. | | | | data even if great damage comes to your |
| | | | computer. No one wants to have their system |
| So, where would you be if you lost your | | | | crash and then discover that all of their |
| database? How would you feel if you attempted | | | | data is gone because they made no backups. |
| to open your database and it wasn't there? | | | | |
| Not good, I'll bet. So you should be backing | | | | There are many methods for backing up your |
| up your database. | | | | data. All that is required is to store your |
| | | | information on a drive or disk separate from |
| Also mission-critical for backups are your | | | | your primary computer. If you operate on a |
| employee payroll records. You don't want to | | | | home LAN system, for example, you can |
| lose the information that you have to report | | | | transfer your files to the other computers on |
| to the Internal Revenue Service. Your | | | | your network and in this way ensure that even |
| employees don't want problems with the IRS, | | | | if one computer fails you will still have |
| either. And they certainly don't want to be | | | | your files on another computer. There are |
| paid late. | | | | also online backup systems where you can |
| | | | store your data on an online server. |
| Here are a few options for backing up your | | | | |